The Site

About the site

Pardshaw Quaker Centre is a three hundred year old Quaker Meeting house next to Pardshaw Crag, in the village of Pardshaw near Cockermouth in the north-west Lake District. It was built in the 1720s by a group of Quakers who used to worship up on the crag, after they decided they wanted a building so they wouldn't freeze in winter. After falling out of regular use in the 1920s, it has been running as a site for youth weekend events since the 1970s, particularly for Quakers aged 18-35. It fell mostly into disuse again in the 2000s, and more recently a group called Friends of Pardshaw have been trying to restore the site, document its history, and bring back its purpose as a low-cost events venue.

For more details please see Pardshaw Quaker Centre's website at https://pardshawquakercentre.org.uk/.

Getting Here on Public Transport

The nearest train station is Penrith (North Lakes), which is on the west coast main line. From there, you can take the X4/X5 bus to Cockermouth, which is a 7-minute drive (or 1-hour walk) from Pardshaw Quaker Centre. The refs will organise lifts from Cockermouth, and you may also be able to catch a lift from other people driving to Pardshaw through Penrith (we expect this to be nearly everyone).

On the Sunday, we will be holding the debriefing brunch session in a cafe in Penrith and providing lifts to anyone who needs them. The cafe will be a short walk from Penrith station.

Floorplan

Here is a floorplan of Pardshaw Quaker Centre. Highlighted in yellow is the central space where your characters will be spending the majority of their time, when they are not carrying candles out into the dark to answer a Concern. When they do, play will also occur at various places including the School room, the Stables, the Burial Ground, Pardshaw Crag, and the path to and from the ruined Fell Church about 20 minutes walk away. Please note that the central space is not wheelchair-accessible due to the steps required to get in. Pardshaw Quaker Centre are currently raising funds for the necessary building work to make their site wheelchair accessible, and we hope to rerun Nine Candles again here once they do. We may also rerun in a more accessible venue at a higher price point.

Pardshaw Crag

On the left is a satellite map of Pardshaw Crag, circled in blue, compared to Pardshaw Quaker Centre highlighted in yellow. On the right is a picture taken from Pardshaw Crag - it is a sweeping bumpy hill scattered with large rocks with a good view of the fells all around.

The Fell Church

On the left is a terrain map of the footpath from Pardshaw Quaker Centre to the ruined Fell Church (St Michael's Chapel). Distances are in km, elevation in m. On the right is the view out from the Burial Ground (next to the main play area) towards the Fell Church, which is shrouded by mist.